A tartine is just a fancy French name for an open-faced sandwich. This tartine isn’t fancy, but it is irresistible, thanks to the sweetness of honey, the smoky crunch of bacon, and the creamy tang of blue cheese.–Darryl Estrine and Kelly Kochendorfer

LC Anytime Is a Swell Time for a Tartine Note

With all due respect to the creators of this smoky, creamy, unctuous, sweet melding of flavors and textures, we find it suitable not just as a starter but as all manner of meals unto themselves. Call it breakfast. Call it brunch. Call it lunch. Call it supper. Call it what you will. Actually, after you’ve had it once, chances are it will call to you.

Directions

1. Brush both sides of the bread lightly with olive oil. [Editor’s Note: It’s imperative that you brush the bread with olive oil, rather than just drizzle or glob the oil on the bread. This ensures an enticingly crisp surface rather than a sad, soggy one.] Place the bread on a baking sheet and broil until golden on one side, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the cheese and broil until slightly melted, about 1 minute.

2. Arrange the blue cheese tartines on a serving platter. Place 2 warm slices of bacon over each toast and then drizzle with the honey and grind some fresh pepper over the top. Cut each tartine in half, if desired, and serve.

Recipe Testers Reviews

There’s a restaurant here in San Diego (Starlite) that offers a rotation of “tasty things on toasted country bread,” from pork belly to fresh mozzarella. This is like one of those “tasty things.” TIPS: The honey actually balances out the blue cheese and bacon, so don’t skip it. Also, definitely spring for a good cheese—not one of the pre-crumbled kinds. And, while I like a good hunk of bacon, chopping or crumbling it over the cheese makes it easier to eat. It’ll serve 4 people, but you’re going to wish you had another piece.

Pick your favourite blue cheese, and you’re on your way to a winner with this simple yet satisfying starter. The salty and sweet combination is a winner every time for me—though I’ll admit I reduced the amount of honey by half, to suit my own taste.

This recipe is oh-so-simple, but packs a powerful taste punch. We loved it. Even my 10-year-old niece liked it (albeit without the blue cheese). The contrasting flavors of the sourdough, blue cheese, smoky bacon, and honey make for a party in your mouth. I’ll definitely add this simple but tasty treat to my list of go-to appetizers.

This recipe doesn’t warrant an overly analytical review; let’s just say it’s a keeper. The ingredients are readily available at most grocery stores, and it’s a cinch to put these delicious open-faced sandwiches together. We love the simple, clean sweetness of the honey with the blue cheese and bacon. When you’re expecting guests who are vegetarian or don’t eat pork, just make some without the bacon—they’d be still delicious.

This was fantastic. I followed the recipe exactly, except I flipped the bread over before I added the cheese. The combination of salty, sweet, smoky, tangy, spicy, and crunchy is not to be missed. It’s a bit messy to eat, but it’s worth it! For a bite-sized starter, I used sliced baguette, and sliced the bacon into 2-inch strips before placing on the toast. It was very quick and easy to make. I’d absolutely make this again for friends.

This is truly one of my new open-faced sandwich recipes. It has savory, comfort, and umami written all over it! I absolutely adored the combination of pungent blue cheese, salty bacon, and sweet honey—all of this on broiled, chewy sourdough bread. How could you not love this? I can think of so many friends who would love this for a starter, snack or light lunch. In my opinion, there would be no reason to change this dish, as it’s pretty perfect as is. What a lovely tasting recipe.

I felt kind of guilty testing this recipe because this is pretty much what I have for lunch every day. Tartines are among my favorite things, and I think blue cheese should have its own designation on the food pyramid. I hadn’t thought of adding bacon to a blue cheese tartine before, although I’ve used prosciutto in the past. This combo might be even better than that. I love the sweet and salty balance with the honey, blue cheese, and bacon. And I love even more that it’s an easy recipe to whip up for lunch or dinner. I’ll be hoarding a few slices of bacon at weekend breakfasts to have some on-hand for these tartines.

Blue cheese, bacon, and honey—on toast? How perfect is that? It’s best to use high-quality blue cheese here, and don’t melt it much—just until the crumbles are warmed and soft. (And, as with anything under the broiler, watch carefully to avoid burning.) Use the best ingredients, and you’ll be greatly rewarded. These can serve 4 nicely, but let’s not kid ourselves: You’ll want to eat more of it, so this really serves 2.

As the introduction states, this recipe is not fancy—but it makes a delicious lunch, snack, or appetizer. It’s also easy to assemble. The tartine creates a wonderful combination of sweet and salt (from the honey, bacon, and cheese, respectively).

This quick and easy snack is delicious—and just the thing to make at the last minute when unexpected guests show up. It’s also great to pair with a winter salad. Creamy, tangy blue cheese, the sweet drizzle of honey, and smoky bacon all bring their own personalities to this dish and blend together beautifully. However, in the instruction to broil the bread, both sides of the bread are brushed with oil, but only one side is broiled. It would be much tastier to broil both sides. To make the toasts easier to eat as finger food, crumbling the bacon instead of leaving it in long slices would work better.

As simple as this recipe is, it’s absolutely delicious—you’ll need to make at least two batches. It should be noted that to follow the recipe as written, you need to use the large round sourdough loaf, not the smaller-diameter bread. Cutting the bread into four pieces makes it easier to use as an appetizer. Having just recently discovered the delicious combination of honey and blue cheese or Stilton, I knew as soon as I saw this recipe that it would be at least one of the ones I’d try—and I wasn’t disappointed.

This tartine was straightforward and delicious. Really, how can you miss with smoky bacon, salty blue cheese, and sweet honey? In fact, it might have been too much flavor (is that possible?). Next time, I’ll cut back on the blue cheese, although the best strategy might be to shrink the size of these appetizers, using crostini-sized French bread, and crumbling the bacon on top.

Wow! I’ve been drizzling honey over Maytag blue cheese for years, but the ultimate is adding the bacon. The smoky flavor of the bacon with the blue cheese and honey, along with the bite of freshly ground black pepper put this recipe into the “Irresistible Testers’ Choice” realm! Everyone loved the combination, and I’ll be making it over and over again.

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